The recent experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the "professional isolation" of early childhood education practitioners, as the possibilities for mutual connection and sharing of practices have been greatly reduced. It also highlighted that the digital competencies of professionals need to be strengthened.

Against this backdrop, the idea of developing a green education project that enables valuable international exchanges among early childhood educators via virtual study visits was born.  

The Green Learning Community (GREELCO)  partnership project was created with the aim of creating an online learning community that connects ECEC professionals and offers them the opportunity to improve their digital competencies, share their expertise and improve their practice.

The new partnership is led by the Center for Quality in Education Step by Step Slovenia, (ISSA Member), and includes ISSA, the Hellenic Open University (HOU) from Greece, and eight kindergartens from eight countries: Elmer, Belgium; Mateřská škola Šestajovice, Czech Republic; Tartu Lasteaed Pääsupesa, Estonia; Pitypangos Közösségért Alapítvány, Hungary; JUODG Femo Kulakov, The Republic of North Macedonia; Granidita CU Program Prelungit nr.22 Botosani, Romania; Predskolska Ustanova "Cukarica", Serbia; and Vrtec Bled,  Slovenia.

GREELCO is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (EU).

For the next year and a half (until October 2024), ISSA will work closely with project partners and provide technical assistance for the training of professionals and the development of the virtual visits, as well as oversee the communication and dissemination activities of the project.

Stay tuned and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The free-access digital platform will be available soon and the virtual study visits to kindergartens will follow.